Often when I am training and coaching teachers around GLAD, I hear from my primary teachers that some of the GLAD strategies are just not "primary friendly." I have to agree that a full-blown Cognitive Content Dictionary (CCD) done over two days is likely too cumbersome for our students in Pre-K through 2nd Grade, especially when asked to explicitly teach 3-5 words per week.
Today's blog post is about teaching vocabulary explicitly and in context to students in the primary grades, without losing the key piece of metacognitive processes of a traditional CCD. This strategy is called the Picture Dictionary. Below you'll find a step-by-step process for teaching key content vocabulary to your students.
Materials Needed
11 x 17 white paper
Mr. Sketch Markers
Pencil
Alphabet Strip (shown above-- consonants in black, vowels in red)
Strategy Preparation and Planning
Before teaching this strategy to your class, you'll want to prep a few things to make it easier on yourself. Sketch out a visual representation of the chosen vocabulary words and pencil in the definition. These should be done in the top two quadrants of the paper. In the bottom third of the paper, you'll create small dashes for the number of letters in the word. Below that, you'll want to pencil in a quick "clue" for the word that you'll use as an attention-getter throughout the day. This clue is more like a gesture. We include gestures when teaching new vocabulary to help students imprint newly learned information into their long-term memory.
When I'm planning instruction, I like to have an idea of the next several words that I will be teaching to my class. This helps me ensure that my teaching is connected to an essential question and that I'm addressing the target of the lesson. For that reason, I've created a planning page to use. Since I try and teach 3-5 words per week, this planning page gives me the ability to plan four words at a time. Then, I can transfer this planning work to my chart paper. This tool is also handy if you're co-planning instruction with teammates or co-teachers.
The Process
Share the math vocabulary word and clue. "Our math word today is _______."
Have the students say the word with you. "Say it with me."
Using a black marker, fill in the pre-penciled lines for each letter in the word. "This word has __ letters. Let's count as I write a line for each letter."
Optional (recommended for K-1): write the numbers below the lines and have students count again.
Orally stretch out the word, listening carefully for each sound.
Ask students which letter matches the initial sound
Select a student to come up and find the first letter on the alphabet strip and write the letter on the first line.
The class should write the letter in the air, on the carpet, on their knee, etc. as the student writes the letter on the picture dictionary chart
Repeat steps 5-8 for each letter/sound in the word
If a sound is made by more than one letter, have the student find and write both sounds and connect the letters underneath the line to show that the letters work together to make one sound.
Once the word is written on the chart, have students predict the meaning of the word. "Turn and tell your partner, what do you think the definition of the word ____ is?"
Students share out their predictions
Write the final definition on the chart (remember, you prepped this ahead of time so you're just tracing your pencil marks)
Sketch examples on the chart (remember, you prepped this ahead of time so you're just tracing your pencil marks)
Practice using the gesture that you created. In GLAD we call this Total Physical Response or TPR. This includes saying the word, a shortened definition, and doing the gesture all at the same time.
Use the TPR to send the kids to work and/or get their attention.
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